Fame
by Belle's Noir
Summary: Just a few weeks after his name came out the Goblet, Harry's at his lowest when an impossible creature offers him a... direction.


_Hi all! When I was about fourteen, I fell in love with the 2003 Peter Pan movie and in fangirl love with Peter. I hated Wendy for leaving him. This fic was one of the first I ever started and I'm so glad to have finished it. A slashy sequel will be written if it's liked. The Peter Pan stuff comes mostly from the Disney movie and 2003 version plus whatever I learn from Wiki. I hope you like it. Plus points to anyone who clicks on to the title of this fic. It's not random, there is a connection, Can you work it out?_

_Hanna xoxo_

Harry ignored the glares aimed in his direction as he made his way back to Gryffindor tower. He barely even felt the hostile stares any more, he was used to them which said a lot about the sort of life Harry Potter had lead. It had been two weeks since his blasted name came out of that blasted goblet and he was seriously reaching the end of his rope.

He'd have been able to handle the snide remarks from the rest of school if he'd had someone by his side. _Anyone_ by his side, just anyone who supported him but there was no one. Not even his best friends believed him. Well, maybe they did but they still wouldn't stand by him.

Ron was too jealous and short sighted. All he could see was Harry's fame; the prat couldn't see that he had absolutely everything Harry could have ever wanted. He couldn't see the hand shaped bruises that covered Harry's delicate body. Harry didn't even try to hide them any more. No one took any notice anyway so it really didn't make a difference.

And Hermione just proved that while the Dursleys were wrong about Harry being worthless, Harry himself had gotten it right. He would always be second best. No one would ever pick him first for any sort of good reason. And Hermione had just proved that by picking Ron over him even though she knew that if she stuck with Harry, Ron could go hang out with anyone else in Gryffindor and be fine but if she went off with Ron, Harry would be alone.

Harry sighed as he kicked his shoes off and pulled his robes over his head. He really should be heading to potions now but he just didn't care anymore. He was facing dragons in ten days, how could he possibly find Snape scary when he had that hanging over his head? He crawled onto his bed and used his wand to close and lock the curtains. He didn't want to be disturbed.

It was Ron's snores that woke him hours later. He'd only been intending to skip the one class but it looked like he'd also missed transfiguration and dinner. Harry grimaced at the thought of not only facing Snape's wrath but McGonagall's as well. They were still no where near as horrifying as a dragon but it still wasn't something he looked forward to.

Harry pulled back the curtains and blinked as his eyes adjusted to the light from the full moon that shone directly onto his face. Another snore from the next bed drew Harry attention and the boy had to clench his fists to stop himself from hexing the redhead. Harry could understand Ron's jealousy, it was hard growing up with nothing, and he would have even accepted an apology for the way Ron had behaved but Harry couldn't forgive the fact that Ron had known about the dragons and not warned him.

Even Hermione, for all her talk about following the rules, would have told Harry about the dragons the second she knew, simply because it was so dangerous. Hell, the first person Harry had told was Cedric. It didn't matter that it was technically cheating or that they could get in trouble; he'd wanted to make sure the Hufflepuff had the best chance of survival. But Ron hadn't even done that.

When Harry had seen Charlie Weasley handling the dragons, he'd wondered if Ron knew his brother was in the school but then Charlie had started talking. He'd said that Ron had been in a foul mood and in the hopes of cheering him up, he'd let Ron in on the secret of the first task. He's said he hoped that if Ron knew the reality of the Tournament, just how deadly the whole thing was, it would convince him to mend his fractured relationship with Harry.

But Ron hadn't done it. He'd kept quiet about the whole thing and seemed perfectly content to watch as the person who'd been his best friend for years risked their life.

Harry quickly put his shoes back on and grabbed his invisibility cloak. He had to get out of the dorms before he did something he'd regret. Well, he wouldn't regret it but he didn't want to have to explain why he'd cursed his former friend.

The corridors of the castle felt colder than usual and less welcoming. Harry had wondered the castle at night hundreds of times and though he'd almost always been alone, he'd never felt lonely before. He did now.

Hogwarts felt like it wasn't his home any more. The carelessness the faculty had shown in regards to his safety had finally managed to make Harry hate his magical life. He already hated his muggle one, the Dursleys saw to that, but at least there Harry knew that no one cared for him. There were no empty promises or lies in the shape of lemon drops.

Although Harry was hungry, he detested the thought of going to the kitchens to eat. The house elves were under orders to tell the headmaster about anyone who went there after curfew and while that normally wouldn't have stopped him, Harry didn't want to give the headmaster any more excuses to involve himself in Harry's life. Dumbledore had messed it up quite enough already thank you very much.

Instead Harry made his way to the front doors, which were unlocked causing Harry to scoff bitterly. The school really didn't take the safety of the students very seriously. Silently, Harry made his way across the grounds and settled down beside the lake, watching the reflection of the full moon on the surface of the water. It was a beautiful sight.

Harry sat there just staring and thinking for half an hour before a flash of green light brought him out of his musings. He was awed as he watched what looked like a small green orb flying just a few inches above the water, weaving back and forth playfully between the tentacles of the giant squid.

The Gryffindor felt his eyes go wide as he realised he was seeing a fairy. A real live fairy. He knew from CoMC that fairies could be notoriously bashful and very rarely allowed themselves to be seen. Harry knew the small creature wouldn't have dared come out of hiding if it knew Harry was there but he still couldn't pass up the opportunity to possibly meet the miniature person.

Very slowly and with slightly shaking hands, Harry reached up and pulled off the invisibility cloak. He held his breath as the fairy immediately froze and seemed to be watching him warily. Harry didn't move; he knew better than that. Ever so slowly, the fairy began to move again. This time flying closer to the shore Harry was sitting on. Harry felt a smile bloom across his face as he finally managed to make out the features of a woman no bigger than the palm of his hand.

She wore a short green dress that looked to be made out of leaves, which Harry knew it was, and tiny little slippers that were so dainty and small they made Harry want to coo like women did over baby clothes. But he knew doing so would probably get him smacked or something. Fairies could be very temperamental. Their bodies only big enough to hold one emotion at a time. Harry didn't want that emotion to be a negative one.

"Hello." He whispered softly, not wanted to spook the girl. The bun in her hair was oddly neat considering she had been flying, Harry almost wanted to pout that even windswept her hair was neater than his.

The fairy tinkled at him in a way Harry knew meant hello. Fairies didn't really have a language but every magical being, including witches and wizards, had an instinctive understanding of what fairies said. At least that's what his books said and Harry was now inclined to believe them.

It had shocked Hermione the year before, to see Harry willingly reading one of his school books but the idea of fairies had fascinated him. It made him think of the girls in primary school talking about the Disney film, Sleeping Beauty.

Things like that had been banned in the Dursley household, even for Dudley. Anything that mentioned magic was against the rules.

"I'm Harry." He told her. "What's your name?"

The fairy jingled again and Harry felt a whisper in the back of his mind. '_Tinker Bell_'.

"Tinker Bell?" Harry clarified, just in case. He grinned as the little fairy nodded excitedly.

He giggled at the fairy flew so close to his face he had to go cross-eyed just to see her hovering in front of his nose.

She tinkled at him. He sighed.

"I don't want to be in my dorm room." Harry told her, answering her question as to why he was out there so late and alone. "No body is speaking to me at the moment."

She tinkled again, a concerned frown marring her beautiful features.

Harry bit his lip, not really wanting to talk about it but worried that if he didn't then the fairy would leave. "There's a competition going on in the school at the moment. It's very dangerous so whoever wins will be famous. Someone entered me as a contestant and I was chosen. Everyone thinks I did it myself but I didn't I swear!" He told her desperately, praying that someone would finally believe him. "I don't want to be famous; I just want to be safe. This tournament won't allow for that. But no one believes me and now I'm alone."

Tinker Bell glided even closer to Harry's face and pressed a tiny kiss to his cheek. Harry frowned as she jingled at him.

"A lost boy?" He asked, very confused. "I don't know what one is so I don't know if I'm one of them but the name fits." He told her with a sad smile.

Harry sighed again as his mind registered the lightening sky.

"I have to go." He whispered mournfully; feeling surprisingly heartbroken that his first encounter with a fairy was ending so soon. Or maybe it was because it was his first conversation with someone who actually believed in his innocence. "Will I see you again?" Harry asked, expecting to be told no.

However his face lit up into a huge grin as Tinker Bell jingled yes at him. He knew better than to ask when and could only hope that it was sometime soon. He imagined he would need his new little friend.

"Thank you." He whispered sincerely, before donning his invisibility cloak and heading back to the castle, a new spring in his step.

However it was gone by the next night and Harry had a defeated slump to his shoulders. Ron had been dreadful all day and the 'Potter Stinks' badges were really starting to get to him. How did anybody expect him to deal with all this by himself? He was barely fourteen, he wasn't ready for the sheer amount of pressure and responsibility the world seemed to be forcing on him. He was only just learning to be a teenager, he wasn't ready to be a grown up yet.

His cheek had also been rather itchy and he didn't know why, he just hoped he hadn't been bitten by some sort of insect when he'd been out by the lake the night before.

He'd been waiting very impatiently for his roommates to fall asleep before he could sneak out to the lake, in the hopes of seeing Tinker Bell again though he doubted the fairy would come back two nights in a row.

But again the miniature blond surprised him and seemed to be there waiting for him which was unusual for a fairy. They could only think of one or two things at a time so can often be quite forgetful but Tinker Bell had remembered him. It warmed Harry's heart slightly to know that at least someone was thinking about him.

He sat down on the shore and Tinker Bell immediately settled on his shoulder, stroking a few strands of hair that she could reach.

Harry felt himself tear up slightly at the caring action; the need to just _talk_ to someone was almost completely overwhelming. He couldn't stop himself as he confessed everything to the little fairy sitting on his shoulder.

He spoke of his younger years that could barely be called a childhood. The abuse he still suffered at the hands of his uncle and cousin now they were sure no one would bother doing anything about it. The fame that was heaped upon him without any forewarning the moment he entered the Wizarding World. Discovering the truth of how his parents died but still not understanding why. Facing the man who killed them when no one would take the word of three eleven year-olds seriously. Facing a basilisk. Facing the man who was thought to have betrayed his parents only to found out he had simply betrayed Harry to muggles. And finally the tournament, how much it hurt to have his closest friend turn away from him.

He confessed it all in the hopes that someone would finally actually _listen_. Which Tinker Bell did, quite attentively for a fairy.

Harry was shaking by the time he'd finished though he doubted it was from the cold.

"When I was little," He added after a small silence, his voice slightly hoarse from having spoken for so long. "When I was little and I'd see another child upset by something, they'd always say then wanted to go home. Because home was were they felt safe. But where am I supposed to wish for when I'm not safe anywhere?"

The little fairy was filled with sadness as she watched tears slip down the face of the green eyed boy. A boy with no one to care for him, no where to go. Another little boy lost though this one slightly older than the others.

Harry was almost startled by the short tinkle he heard in response.

"Neverland?" Harry repeated with a small frown. "Where's that?"

Another tinkle came quickly, sounding almost excited. Harry looked up.

"Second star to the right." He whispered. It was a nice thought, magical all on its own, though he doubted he could go that high on his broom.

Tinker Bell moved into the Harry's line of sight, a glorious smile on her face now she'd had her idea. She tinkled at him, the sound softer and more hypnotic that normal. It could almost be described as enticing. Harry continued to gaze passed her, out into the stars and he listened to her talk about her homeland. The Never Never Lands. Pixie Hollow sounded beautiful, so did Mermaid Lagoon with its pink flamingos. The Pirates, the Redskins, the Ticking Crocodile. He could almost picture the magical island were fairies would take lost boys and they became Lost Boys, where they were made to feel welcome. The wondrous island that became their home, where they never had to grow up too fast (or grow up at all) and face the expectations of thousands. The very island this amazing little creature was offering to take him to.

Harry cheek began to warm at the thought of agreeing, somewhere in the back of his mind registered that it was the exact place Tinker Bell had kissed him the night before. It was such a tempting offer, it seemed like every fibre of his being was yearning to accept. It wouldn't be the first time he'd walked into the unknown with just the hope that it was better than what he was leaving behind. It was how he had rejoined the Wizarding World.

_And look how well that turned out_, the corner of his mind whispered. The thought sobered Harry immediately, halting the acceptance that had been on the tip of his tongue. He knew this would be at least somewhat different, surely no one could already have expectations of him in a place he'd never been. But he still couldn't walk into this blindly; he had to be smarter than last time.

And this time he knew what sort of questions to ask.

"What would happen to me, Tink?" Harry whispered, afraid that if he spoke too loudly it would break the spell that seemed to have come over them. Time seemed suspended while Harry made another life changing decision. "If the island is magical, how will it affect me as a wizard?"

Every magical being knew the stories of the Bermuda Triangle. The Triangle's natural magic being so different to a wizard's that the consequences were severe should one enter the area. Even muggles, who had less magic in them than a common garden tree, couldn't always enter the place safely.

Harry listened closely as the green fairy spoke of the only other wizard to cross the boundaries of Neverland. Peter Pan. It wasn't remembered how long he had been there but enough seasons had passed for the islands many inhabitants to know that Peter wasn't going to grow up. Harry listened to the tale of the boy who could do practically everything, whose moods could affect his surroundings and who was practically part of the island itself.

"Will that happen to me? Will I be like that?"

Tinker Bell nodded, still filled with hope that this boy would travel back with her. After all, it was the job of the fairies to take lost boys back to Never Never Land though they didn't normally have a say in the matter. Harry was a special case due to being slightly older then the average Lost Boy as well as a wizard.

This was sounding so promising, a place that would welcome him, that would help him to defend himself should something go wrong. Harry bit his lip and glanced over his shoulder at the castle looming behind him. It looked dark, cold and unwelcoming. Harry remembered how light and warm and simply magical it had seemed the first time he'd laid eyes on it. It had been his home almost instantly and now it was rejecting him like the Dursley's.

He fixed his eyes back on Tinker Bell.

"What about the contract? They said it was magically binding, will it take my magic if I come with you?"

Tinker Bell shook her head vigorously, tinkling all the while that the magic would break as the passed the stars. The stars being created to watch over Neverland, they wouldn't allow a harmful bond like that to continue.

Harry had a few more questions, all of which Tinker Bell was able to answer. He wouldn't age, he didn't need to eat but could create food simply by imagining it if he wanted. He could bring his things with him but only the most important, he could leave any time he wanted. The fairies would make his clothes.

"How do I get there?" Harry asked the final question. He already knew he would go to Neverland if he could. How could he say no? But fairies, due to their only being able to think one or two thoughts, were not always the most realistic creatures. Sometimes they forgot that others weren't like them.

Tinker Bell clapped her hands excitedly, sensing Harry's acceptance behind the question. She tinkled at him.

"Happy thoughts and just a little bit of fairy dust?" It sounded so silly, so unrealistic, so impossible but Harry wanted to grin. It was magical the way magic was always supposed to be. The way he'd hoped it to be when he saw the giant with kind eyes give his cousin a tail using just an umbrella.

Harry watched with fascination as the little fairy hovered over his head and shook herself in an almost comical fashion. He could barely contain his joy as a shower of golden sparkles began raining down on him. His grin grew impossibly wider as he imagined the island that was waiting for him. He barely felt it as he slowly began to float. Just a few inches at first but the distance was steadily growing until Harry hovered at nearly three metres above the ground. The only thing that prevented Harry from whooping with delight was the chance of discovery. No doubt he would be stopped if he were caught.

He spent a few minutes floating around in lazy circles as he adjusted to being off the ground without the aid of a broom. Thankfully Harry took to flying instantly no mater what method he was using. Be it Hippogriff, racing broom or fairy dust. Softly and silently, Harry swooped down to grab his invisibility cloak of the grass. With all the stealth of someone who knew everything came down to these few moments, Harry flew up to and through his dorm room window.

He knew he couldn't take his trunk so Harry filled his school bag with everything he thought he'd need or want. His wand, his photo album, a few books he didn't want to leave behind and a few pairs of underwear as well as anything else that meant anything to him at all.

Harry spent a few moments staring at his Firebolt trying to figure out what to do with it and what it meant to him. He loved to fly and before that always meant he needed a broom but that wasn't the case any more. He'd loved his Nimbus because it had been one of his first ever presents, a sign that someone cared in one way or another and he supposed that the Firebolt should mean the same thing but it didn't. It felt like a bribe or something given out of guilt. A semblance of affection from a man Harry didn't really know or trust if he were honest.

On the practical side. If Harry took the broom, everyone would _know_ he ran away. And hate him for it. But if he left it, it would imply the possibility that he was taken by force and then he could hope that there would be some who would worry, who would miss him, who would regret how they treated him. His check felt warm again. He knew it was a petty and childish thing to hope for but he was still somewhat a child and children are occasionally petty. They have never been known for their maturity.

Harry also knew that he just didn't want to take the broom though it felt too heartless to admit to. The broom had come from Sirius; it was a reminder of him. The man who left him to the muggles. The only people Harry wanted a reminder of were his parents.

Leaving the broom under his bed and secretly hoping it wouldn't be given to Ron, Harry took one last look at the room he had lived in for the past three and a bit years.

And he felt nothing.

And that felt good.

With a happy smile on his face, Harry made his way over to the window, floating just a few inches off the floor so he wouldn't make any noise but it also wouldn't be obvious that he was flying should anyone wake up. Tinker Bell seemed to glow even brighter as he rejoined her outside. Her tinkling sounding almost frantic in her excitement. She flew in front of him and pointed.

"Second star to the right?" Harry asked with a grin.

The fairy jingled in agreement.

"_And straight on till morning."_

**Review**


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